The principal objective of the proposed research is to evaluate heat resistant fabrics for use in specialized safety clothing and thermal barriers for the protection of industrial workers who are exposed to occupational hazards in the form of intense heat or flame, or who may suffer serious burn injuries as the result of the handling of hot materials. Asbestos is traditionally used to make heat-resistant fabrics. The health risks associated with the production of asbestos materials have been formally recognized by OSHA. However, new high-temperature fibers and fabrics are available and the technology exists to evaluate these new materials to determine which are acceptable alternatives to asbestos. The program of comparative testing and evaluation proposed by this research will identify and test a wide variety of fire-resistant fabrics. The thermal response and physical properties of the fabrics will be measured. Because the program of testing will be sufficiently designed to competitively rank the performance of the fabrics that are tested, this research will provide a unique and highly necessary resource that will contribute to the scientific knowledge concerning the properties of high-temperature textiles, make the design of superior thermal protective materials for industrial applications possible, and make choices concerning replacement alternatives for asbestos in the American workplace easier and better informed.